ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — As a tense G20 summit began here Thursday, the Canadian government played down any expectations that world leaders will be able to resolve the Syrian crisis or bring Russia onside with the West during the conference, all the while insisting that a military response is needed against the Assad regime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greeted world leaders one by one as they pulled up to Constantine Palace in black Mercedes sedans, officially launching a G20 meeting that is one of the most anticipated summits in years.

The smiles, handshakes and small chat between Putin and other world leaders arriving in St. Petersburg couldn’t hide the deep divisions between Syrian ally Russia and the West. Countries such as the United States, Canada and France say a military strike against Syria is necessary to punish the Assad regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on its own citizens.

Indeed, U.S.-Russia relations have fallen into a deep chill and are arguably at their worst state since Obama took office.

The seating order around the G20 leaders’ table was reportedly altered to provide more space between Putin and Obama, and the two leaders were not expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

As the tension mounts over Syria, Pope Francis — in a letter to Putin as host of the summit — is urging G20 leaders to find a way to resolve their differences and “lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution.”

But the Harper government maintains a U.S.-led military strike is necessary to punish Assad and send a “clear message” that using chemical weapons will not be tolerated and comes with severe consequences.

“We do not want a new world order established where dictators can use these weapons of mass destruction, a poor man’s nuclear weapon, act with impunity and to see this type of behaviour encouraged,” Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told reporters in St. Petersburg.

Canada is not planning a military mission, but will instead offer moral support to any U.S. military strike.

Baird held formal bilateral meetings Thursday with foreign ministers of Australia and France, and chatted with the German minister as well.

The Canadian foreign affairs minister, who’s participating in a sidelines summit on Friday with many of his G20 counterparts, said the evidence before the world is “conclusive” that Syrian President Bashar Assad used poison gas on his own people.

The minister said he’s “tremendously concerned” that if there is no response, there’s no incentive for Assad “to step up to the table” for a political settlement, which the Canadian government says it believes is the best hope for ending the crisis. But achieving that political settlement is becoming more challenging by the day as the civil war rages on, Baird said.

Canada is not anticipating any major movement on reaching a resolution to the Syrian conflict or convincing Russia to rethink its support for the Assad regime, he said.

“We’ve got to be very realistic. No one is coming here anticipating success,” Baird told reporters, noting the G20 is primarily an economic forum.

“When you have this type of crisis, with the significant use of chemical weapons in recent weeks, there’s no doubt that it casts a shadow over (the summit). I think what we hope to have is a good dialogue on these issues. But I think we were coming, certainly I and the prime minister, we’re very realistic that at this forum we were unlikely to come to a conclusion.”

The federal government also called on United Nations inspectors to report back on their chemical weapons investigation in Syria as quickly as possible. Baird said three or four weeks for the release of information would be “far too long.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to speak with Canadian reporters Friday at the conclusion of the summit, and is expected to address the situation in Syria at that time.

The Obama administration, in an assessment supported by the Canadian government, says the Syrian government is responsible for an Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack on a Damascus suburb that killed more than 1,400 people.

The Syrian government blames the chemical attack on rebel forces, while Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters Thursday the evidence to date that Assad used chemical weapons is far from convincing.

“Saying that the (Syrian) government is using gas against civilians is not a legitimate statement,” Peskov said.

The United Nations says the 2-1/2-year civil war in Syria has killed more than 100,000 people and seen more than two million refugees flee the country.

As the death toll mounts and the humanitarian crisis worsens, Pope Francis is appealing to G20 leaders to overcome their differences and find a way to resolve the Syrian conflict without military force.

“It is regrettable that, from the very beginning of the conflict in Syria, one-sided interests have prevailed and in fact hindered the search for a solution that would have avoided the senseless massacre now unfolding,” the Pope wrote in the letter to Putin.

“To the leaders present, to each and every one, I make a heartfelt appeal for them to help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution. Rather, let there be a renewed commitment to seek, with courage and determination, a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiation of the parties, unanimously supported by the international community.”

Asked about the Pope’s comments, Baird said: “I have high regard for His Holiness and appreciate his thoughts.”

Senior Parliament Hill reporter for the Ottawa Citizen, politics junkie, wannabe pro golfer and someone who has wordsmithed at newspapers in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. I've covered politics at... read more every level, including city hall in Ottawa and Calgary, the Alberta legislature in Edmonton and now back in Ottawa covering the Hill.View author's profile